DESC:TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention relates generally to architecture developed for real time moving map display for ultra-wide band airborne systems.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Conventionally, a third-party geographic information system (GIS) software tool is bought from external agencies and integrated into applications for displaying moving maps. However, the cost for employing such a GIS software is linked with the number of applications and systems and therefore very high.
[0003] In such third-party tool, no customization could be done to suit specific airborne system requirements that can handle adversary emitter data presentation, and therefore must depend entirely on given API calls. Further, apart from the drawback of cost overhead, there are also other difficulties in implementation, deployment, licensing, field support and upgradation of software of the system.
[0004] For example, in a conventional system for moving map display, a process of multichannel moving map display having a first channel for processing of background geographical data and inputting said process data into a display memory for scanning by a display and a second channel for generating cultural features and storing the same in a second display memory for scanning by the display is disclosed.
[0005] In another conventional airborne arrangement for displaying a moving map, aerial-navigation data such as symbols and characters on an electronic display screen is disclosed. The system comprises of a video map generator for converting the map to be displayed, carried on a film, into a video signal of the television type, a symbol generator which produces signals of the navigational data to be displayed with random scan, and an oscilloscope provided with switching circuits for consecutively displaying these items in the course of each frame cycle.
[0006] In yet another conventional method of communicating electronic map data, map data is compiled as at least one cell comprising a plurality of vector data records and a plurality of feature data records to, for instance, the IHO S-57 standard. During the compilation, the respective bit lengths of a plurality of vector data values are reduced and both the bit-reduced vector data values and feature data values are entropy encoded.
[0007] There is still a need for effective real time moving map display for ultrawide band airborne systems.
SUMMARY
[0008] This summary is provided to introduce concepts related to a system that displays both moving map and moving platform at the speed of airborne system with various map formats loaded as the performance of GIS navigation speed depends on the loaded map data with real-time update response. This summary is neither intended to identify essential features of the present invention nor is it intended for use in determining or limiting the scope of the present invention.
[0009] For example, various embodiments herein may include one or more airborne systems with a Geographic Information System (GIS) display. In one exemplary embodiment herein, the system receives intercepted track data and updates them at the rate of 1 second and simultaneously updates map layers particularly S57 chart layers, Open Street Map (OSM) tiles and real time platform position received from GPS without any time lag. The map coordinate data which is in the form of (longitude, latitude) is processed and stored in buffers in screen coordinates and is passed to display module. The intercepted track data in shown on the map, based on the direction of the track and random distance from the platform. The track is painted on the display based on its DOA (Direction of Arrival) and dynamic distance from the platform. The dynamic distance is calculated based on the distance between the platform and the boundary of the screen in that particular direction.
[0010] In another embodiment, the system avoids any jerks and flickering while panning the display with moving map, provides and real time updation of platform position and track data. Further, in the system various map formats like raster (GeoTiff and other image formats) and vector formats (Tab, shape, S57, DGN), open street maps etc., are supported and the display, for example, may be portable on Windows® and RHEL (Red Hat Enterprise Linux) based platforms.
[0011] In another exemplary embodiment, the system interacts with open street map database of size more than 15 GB (Giga byte). The system retrieves tiles from the database in real-time and updates without any flickering, jerks and delay for providing real-time display.
[0012] In another exemplary embodiment, the system has the capacity to display and provide real time update of geographical locations having a maximum of 512 intercepted adversaries present in environment at the rate of one second.
[0013] In another exemplary embodiment, the system with enhanced features includes provisions for loading maps, map navigation tools such as zoom-in, zoom-out, zoom-fit and selective zoom, provision for distance and angle calculations, and provisions for placing annotations and drawing tools.
[0014] In another exemplary embodiment, a real time moving map display for airborne systems comprises a coordinate conversion module; a S57 charts data transformation module; a raster maps transformation module; a vector maps transformation module; an intercepted adversary’s data acquisition module; a GIS tool module; a display and a GUI module.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS
[0015] The detailed description is described with reference to the accompanying figures. In the figures, the left-most digit(s) of a reference number identifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. The same numbers are used throughout the drawings to reference like features and modules.
[0016] Figure 1 illustrates a block diagram of proposed architecture according to implementation of a system for real time moving map display for airborne systems, according to an exemplary implementation of the present invention.
[0017] Figure 2 demonstrates data and process flow according to the implementation of the proposed real time moving map display for airborne systems, according to an exemplary implementation of the present invention.
[0018] Figure 3 illustrates flow charts for data transformation process according to the implementation of the proposed real time moving map display for airborne systems, according to an exemplary implementation of the present invention.
[0019] Figure 4 illustrates data transformation during cartesian conversion according to the implementation of the proposed real time moving map display for airborne systems, according to an exemplary implementation of the present invention.
[0020] It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that any block diagrams herein represent conceptual views of illustrative systems embodying the principles of the present invention. Similarly, it will be appreciated that any flowcharts, flow diagrams, and the like represent various processes which may be substantially represented in computer readable medium and so executed by a computer or processor, whether or not such computer or processor is explicitly shown.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0021] The various embodiments of the present disclosure provide a system that replaces Geographic Information System (GIS) enabled display with in-house developed GIS which is a “Complete One Package” consisting of all GIS features and real time airborne systems, emitter scenario presentation and updating feature. The system further comprises a moving map and a platform display for realistic navigation scenarios required for air borne systems. In the present disclosure, the refresh rate of maps is at the rate of speed of air borne platform.
[0022] In the following description, for purpose of explanation, specific details are set forth in order to provide an understanding of the present disclosure. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that the present disclosure may be practiced without these details. One skilled in the art will recognize that embodiments of the present invention, some of which are described below, may be incorporated into a number of systems.
[0023] However, the systems and methods are not limited to the specific embodiments described herein. Further, structures and devices shown in the figures are illustrative of exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure and are meant to avoid obscuring of the present invention.
[0024] Furthermore, connections between components and/or modules within the figures are not intended to be limited to direct connections. Rather, these components and modules may be modified, re-formatted or otherwise changed by intermediary components and modules.
[0025] References in the present invention to “embodiment” or “implementation” mean that a particular feature, structure, characteristic, or function described in connection with the embodiment or the implementation is included in at least one embodiment or implementation of the invention. The appearances of the phrase “in an embodiment” in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.
[0026] The object of the present invention is to provide a system that displays both moving map and moving platform at the speed of airborne system with various map formats loaded as the performance of GIS navigation speed depends on the loaded map data with real-time update response.
[0027] In an exemplary embodiment, the system interacts with open street map database of size more than 15 GB (Giga byte). The system retrieves tiles from the database in real-time and updates without any flickering, jerks and delay for providing real-time display.
[0028] In the exemplary embodiment, the system has the capacity to display and provide real time update of geographical locations having a maximum of 512 intercepted adversaries present in environment at the rate of one second.
[0029] In the exemplary embodiment, the system with enhanced features includes provisions for loading maps, map navigation tools such as zoom-in, zoom-out, zoom-fit and selective zoom, provision for distance and angle calculations, and provisions for placing annotations and drawing tools.
[0030] In the exemplary embodiment, the system receives intercepted track data and updates them at the rate of 1 second and simultaneously updates map layers particularly S57 chart layers, Open Street Map (OSM) tiles and real time platform position received from GPS without any time lag. The map coordinate data which is in the form of (longitude, latitude) is processed and stored in buffers in screen coordinates and is passed to display module. The intercepted track data in shown on the map, based on the direction of the track and random distance from the platform. The track is painted on the display based on its DOA (Direction of Arrival) and dynamic distance from the platform. The dynamic distance is calculated based on the distance between the platform and the boundary of the screen in that particular direction.
[0031] In the embodiment, the system avoids any jerks and flickering while panning the display with moving map, provides and real time updation of platform position and track data. Further, in the system various map formats like raster (GeoTiff and other image formats) and vector formats (Tab, shape, S57, DGN), open street maps etc., are supported and the display, for example, may be portable on Windows® and RHEL (Red Hat Enterprise Linux) based platforms.
[0032] In an exemplary embodiment, a real time moving map display for airborne systems comprises a coordinate conversion module; a S57 charts data transformation module; a raster maps transformation module; a vector maps transformation module; an intercepted adversary’s data acquisition module; a GIS tool module; a display and a GUI module.
[0033] In the exemplary embodiment, a process for real time moving map display is disclosed. In said process, the coordinate conversion module includes the steps of:
[0034] Step (1): mapping earth coordinates to screen coordinates using a linear referencing method; and
[0035] Step (2): storing the mapped coordinates in a buffer.
[0036] In the exemplary embodiment, the S57 Charts data transformation module includes the steps of:
[0037] Step (1): retrieving appropriate S57 charts depending on the deployment location, from a file system;
[0038] Step (2): reading S57 charts and then extracting its datasets and storing them in buffers;
[0039] Step (3): dividing the buffers based on the geometry of datasets (Area, Point, and Line);
[0040] Step (4): retrieving symbology instructions of imbibed features in the dataset from look-up tables and stored in structures;
[0041] Step (5): generating instruction from symbology procedure, if symbology instruction is consisting of conditional symbology;
[0042] Step (6): generating an entry to display, based on symbol library and color tables, if display scale is greater than SCAMIN attribute of the dataset;
[0043] Step (7): repeating step (4) to step (6) until all datasets are iterated;
[0044] Step (8): storing the extracted data in buffers until the real time process is killed;
[0045] Step (9): destroying real-time FIFO; and
[0046] Step (10): stopping and canceling real-time thread.
[0047] In the exemplary embodiment, the raster maps transformation module includes the steps of:
[0048] Step (1): loading selected maps from file system, extracting its extents and then storing them in buffers;
[0049] Step (2): painting loaded maps on the display at its respective location;
[0050] Step (3): storing extracted data in buffers until the real time process is killed;
[0051] Step (4): destroying real-time FIFO; and
[0052] Step (5): stopping and canceling real-time thread.
[0053] In the exemplary embodiment, the vector maps transformation module includes the steps of:
[0054] Step (1): retrieving selected vector maps from file system;
[0055] Step (2): reading vector maps, extracting its datasets and then storing them in buffers;
[0056] Step (3): dividing buffers based on the geometry of datasets (Area, Point, and Line);
[0057] Step (4): painting vector maps on the display with the help of divided buffers.
[0058] Step (5): storing extracted data in buffers until the real time process is killed;
[0059] Step (6): destroying real-time FIFO; and
[0060] Step (7): stopping and canceling real-time thread.
[0061] In the exemplary embodiment, the intercepted adversary’s data acquisition module includes the steps of:
[0062] Step (1): receiving intercepted track data from ultra-wide band processor;
[0063] Step (2): processing the received track data only if the platform position is in the visible screen boundary as the tracks are painted with respect to platform;
[0064] Step (3): retrieving the DOA (Direction of arrival) of the track and storing in a local variable;
[0065] Step (4): calculating the distance from the platform position to the boundary of the screen in the direction of the track received;
[0066] Step (5): calculating the position of the track to be painted with the help of DOA, distance and platform position;
[0067] Step (6): calculating storing the calculated position in buffer; and
[0068] Step (7): representing the position on the map using the display module.
[0069] In the exemplary embodiment, the GIS tool module is responsible to provide GIS Navigational tools for user interaction. The module includes the following tools:
[0070] Zoom-in that enables an operator to view the smallest region of the map;
[0071] Zoom-out that enables the operator to view the largest region of the map;
[0072] Zoom-Fit that zooms the map the default scale;
[0073] Select Zoom that zooms a particular area of the map by mouse selection;
[0074] Pan that aids to shift a map image relative to the display window without changing the map scale;
[0075] Selection Tool that enables to select objects on map;
[0076] Distance Calculator that calculates distance between two points or objects on map using the mouse selection;
[0077] Layer Dialog in which all the maps loaded are shown, operator is facilitated to either zoom or delete the map selected;
[0078] Drawing Tools that enables the user/operator with a provision to draw text, line, arrow, rectangle and ellipse;
[0079] Platform centre that enables placing the platform always at the center of the map display;
[0080] Moving map that enables movement of the map by placing the platform at the center of the display;
[0081] Moving Platform that enables updation of the platform position as per the position received from the GPS. When the platform reaches the boundary of the screen, it is repositioned to the center of the display screen;
[0082] Show Spokes that enables to hide/show spokes (DF cuts) which are drawn from platform to tracks; and
[0083] Tactical Overlay that Superimpose tactical display on top of map with platform being the centre of tactical display.
[0084] In the exemplary embodiment, the display and GUI module being core display engine of the application, initializes the frame, graphical user interface and other start up parameters. The dynamic plotting module and redraw module will take the data from the display buffer and display on the screen. The display window is by default configured as 700 x 700 sizes. It has the capacity to expand to any extent from this minimum size. the intercepted adversary’s data acquisition module includes functions having the steps of:
[0085] Step (1): creating main window with caption, title, canvas, buttons and labels;
[0086] Step (2): drawing functions, display maps and to position the platform, intercepted tracks and other information;
[0087] Step (3): reading all the data related to maps, platform and tracks from the FIFO; and
[0088] Step (4): handling the signal generated from the real-time FIFO, when a new data is buffered into the FIFO from the transform module and calling for redraw.
[0089] In the exemplary embodiment, the steps involving reading the FIFO and displaying on the screen is as follows:
[0090] Step (1): creating the user interface main window with specified WIDTH and HEIGHT
[0091] Step (2): initializing graphics library and buffering;
[0092] Step (3): creating display canvas and buttons;
[0093] Step (4): retrieving data related to loaded maps from the FIFO and painting it on the map canvas;
[0094] Step (5): declaring and initializing data structure for storing the target and other elements;
[0095] Step (6): establishing an IO channel to read the data from the FIFO;
[0096] Step (7): invoking a signal handler, which is a redraw function, whenever a signal comes from the real-time process, indicating a new data in the FIFO;
[0097] Step (8): updating the platform position and map layers as required in a redraw function;
[0098] Step (9): plotting the Intercepted tracks on the display canvas; and
[0099] Step (10): performing the steps 7 to 9 till exit.
[00100] Figure 1 illustrates a block diagram (100) of proposed architecture according to implementation of system for real time moving map display for airborne systems of the present disclosure.
[00101] In an exemplary embodiment, depicted in Figure 1, shows system architecture. The PC hardware can operate on either platform – RHEL or Windows. The intercepted track data is received from ultra-wide band processor either from local host or LAN network. The system also receives platform position from GPS. The received data are extracted, processed and displayed on the Graphical subsystem (Monitor). The display module is developed using Qt which is a multiplatform programming language. Qt is used to perform the background processing as well develop GUI. The network subsystem uses Linux/Windows to handle the real time data coming from the network.
[00102] Further, an airborne system with a Geographic Information System (GIS) display is disclosed. The system comprises an external interface that provides an intercepted data and platform position of a plurality of emitters. It further comprises a receiver that receives the intercepted data and a processor that processes the received intercepted data. Further, a intercepted adversary’s data acquisition module that extracts a plurality of emitter data from the processed intercepted data and a display and GUI module that displays the emitter data on a map display.
[00103] In an exemplary embodiment, depicted in Figure 2, shows the data flow (200) of the raw data which are fed into the input buffer by the input task. GUI daemon accesses the data stored in the FIFO and plots the objects on the display system.
[00104] In an exemplary embodiment, depicted in Figure 3, shows a flow chart (300) showing the steps involved for S57 chart data transformation.
[00105] In an exemplary embodiment, depicted in Figure 4, shows the process (400) having the steps involved in data transformation of coordinate conversion. Coordinate conversion task gets the information about the position of the objects in (longitude, latitude) and transforms into (x, y). This (x, y) coordinates are stored in the FIFO.
[00106] In an exemplary embodiment, the present disclosure discloses a system for a real time moving map feature for Airborne Systems comprising a display which is a “complete one package” consisting of all GIS features and real time airborne systems Emitter scenario presentation and updation. Further, system will also comprise of moving map and platform display for realistic navigation scenarios required for air borne systems. The Refresh rate of maps is at the rate of speed of Air Borne Platform.
[00107] In the exemplary embodiment, the display has the capability to load various maps and paint Emitter Data with real time updates without compromising on the performance i.e. free from flickering and delays in updation.
[00108] In the exemplary embodiment, the moving map display screen representative of an area is traversed by the aircraft such that a current relative position of the aircraft is maintained within a margin of the screen.
[00109] In the exemplary embodiment, the system further comprises a first overlay of the display comprising of OSM (Open Street maps), maps, and S57 charts.
[00110] In the exemplary embodiment, the system further comprises a second overlay of the GIS display comprising of Emitter data presentation.
[00111] In the exemplary embodiment, the system further comprises a third overlay of the GIS display comprising of platform along with a track of its movement (path of movement).
[00112] In the exemplary embodiment, the system further comprises a fourth overlay of the GIS display comprising of tactical display overlay placing the platform at its centre.
[00113] In the exemplary embodiment, the system further comprises a fifth overlay comprising of Grid format.
[00114] In another exemplary embodiment, the present disclosure discloses a method for displaying a real time moving map feature for Airborne Systems. In the method the platform coordinate data (longitude, latitude) are fed to coordinate conversion module, which converts them into cartesian co-ordinates (X, Y) and passed on to the display module through the FIFO.
[00115] In the exemplary embodiment, display having a LAN Port Connectivity is capable of plotting the aircraft position received from GPS or from the local server.
[00116] In the exemplary embodiment, the map layers can consist of many formats like vector (Tab, Shape, S57, DGN), Raster (GEOTIFF and other image formats) and Open Street Maps.
[00117] In the exemplary embodiment, the map canvas is capable to display emitter Scenario presentation especially tracking and jamming effects effectively without any performance degradation.
[00118] In the exemplary embodiment, a dedicated GIS toolset for user interaction without any flickering and jerks and no delay in layer updates is disclosed.
[00119] In the exemplary embodiment, an angle with respect to platform and distance from platform is shown on mouse movement.
[00120] In the exemplary embodiment, the S57 charts are painted based on predefined color and symbology referenced from predefined look up tables. The S57 charts can be painted with three display modes – Day, Dusk and Night.
[00121] In the exemplary embodiment, the data sets of S57 charts can be configured to display only the layers selected by the operator. The operator is facilitated to either load All or Standard layers of S57 charts.
[00122] In the exemplary embodiment, the intercepted track data position is calculated based on its DOA (direction of arrival) and distance from platform to screen boundary in that direction.
[00123] In the exemplary embodiment, the aircraft position is received from GPS in ground coordinates. The received coordinates are converted to screen coordinates and are passed to display unit.
[00124] In the exemplary embodiment, the diameter of tactical display overlay varies dynamically based on the movement of aircraft. Emitter data is plotted and updated with respect to tactical display properties.
[00125] In the exemplary embodiment, the update of map layers, S57 charts, platform position and intercepted track data plotting are all done in real time updates without any flickering, jerks and time delay.
[00126] In the exemplary embodiment, the intercepted emitter data items are provided with context menu on mouse right click. Context menu provided commands related to Emitter data.
[00127] In the exemplary embodiment, a detailed Emitter parameter dialog is displayed when double clicked on intercepted emitter data items plotted on map.
[00128] In the exemplary embodiment, the arrival of new data in the FIFO is notified to the display by triggering using IO channels.
[00129] It should be noted that the description merely illustrates the principles of the present invention. It will thus be appreciated that those skilled in the art will be able to devise various arrangements that, although not explicitly described herein, embody the principles of the present invention. Furthermore, all examples recited herein are principally intended expressly to be only for explanatory purposes to help the reader in understanding the principles of the invention and the concepts contributed by the inventor to furthering the art, and are to be construed as being without limitation to such specifically recited examples and conditions. Moreover, all statements herein reciting principles, aspects, and embodiments of the invention, as well as specific examples thereof, are intended to encompass equivalents thereof.
,CLAIMS:
1. An airborne system with a Geographic Information System (GIS) display, the system comprising:
an external interface configured to provide an intercepted data and platform position of a plurality of emitters;
a receiver configured to receive the intercepted data;
a processor configured to process the received intercepted data;
an intercepted adversary’s data acquisition module configured to extract a plurality of emitter data from the processed intercepted data; and
a display and GUI module configured to display the emitter data on a map display.

2. The airborne system as claimed in claim 1, said system further comprises a coordinate conversion module wherein the coordinate conversion module is configured to:
map a plurality of earth coordinates to a plurality of screen coordinates using a linear referencing method; and
store the mapped coordinates in a plurality of buffers.

3. The airborne system as claimed in claim 1, said system further comprises a S57 charts data transformation module wherein the S57 charts data transformation module is configured to:
retrieve the suitable S57 charts depending on the deployment location from a file system;
read the S57 charts and extract its datasets and storing them in the buffers;
divide the buffers based on geometry of datasets;
retrieve the symbology instructions of imbibed features in the dataset from a plurality of look-up tables and store in structures;
generate the instruction from symbology procedure, if symbology instruction is consisting of conditional symbology;
generate an entry to display based on a symbol library and a plurality of colour tables if display scale is greater than Scale Minimum (SCAMIN) attribute of the dataset;
repeat the step of retrieving the symbology instructions to the step of generating an entry to display, until all datasets are iterated;
store the extracted data in buffers until the real time process is killed;
destroy the real-time First In First Out (FIFO); and
stop and cancel the real-time thread.

4. The airborne system as claimed in claim 1, said system further comprises a raster maps transformation module wherein the raster maps transformation module is configured to:
load a plurality of maps selected from the file system, extract its extents and store said extents in the buffers;
paint the loaded maps on the display at its respective location;
store the extracted data in the buffers until the real time process is killed;
destroy the real-time FIFO; and
stop and cancel the real-time thread.

5. The airborne system as claimed in claim 1, said system further comprises a vector maps transformation module wherein the vector maps transformation module is configured to:
retrieve a plurality of selected vector maps from the file system;
read the vector maps, extract its datasets and store said datasets in the buffers;
divide the buffers based on the geometry of datasets;
paint the vector maps on the display with the help of divided buffers;
store the extracted data in buffers until the real time process is killed;
destroy the real-time FIFO; and
stop and cancel the real-time thread.

6. The airborne system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the intercepted adversary’s data acquisition module is configured to:
receive the intercepted track data from the ultra-wide band processor;
process the received track data only if the platform position is in the visible screen boundary as the tracks are painted with respect to the platform;
retrieve a Direction of arrival (DOA) of the track and store in a local variable;
calculate the distance from the platform position to the boundary of the screen in the direction of the track received;
calculate the position of the track to be painted with the help of the DOA, distance and platform position;
store the calculated position in buffer; and
represent the position on the map using the display module.

7. The airborne system as claimed in claim 1, said system further comprises a GIS tool module wherein the GIS tool module includes tools such as zoom-in, zoom-out, zoom-fit, select zoom, pan, selection tool, distance calculator, layer dialog, drawing tools, platform centre, moving map, moving platform, show spokes, tactical overlay and the like.

8. The airborne system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the display and GUI module is further configured to:
initialize the frame, the graphical user interface and a plurality of start-up parameters;
create main window with caption, title, canvas, buttons and labels;
draw functions, display maps and to position the platform, intercepted tracks and other information;
read the data related to maps, platform and tracks from the FIFO; and
handle the signal generated from the real-time FIFO, when a new data is buffered into the FIFO from the transform module and call for redraw.

9. The airborne system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the emitter data can be displayed in red colour, yellow colour or green colour.